Industrial vacuum loader and cleaner



Nov. 24, 1910 B, M. KLUGE ETAL INDUSTRIAL VACUUM LOADER AND CLEANERFiled Aug. 5, 1968 :W-za

INVENTORS BURNETT M. KLUGE HOWARD E. PAULSON ATTORNEYS u i) u c) c) 0 00 United States Patent INDUSTRIAL VACUUM LOADER AND CLEANER Burnett M.Kluge, Brookfield, and Howard E. Paulson,

Waukesha, Wis., assignors to D P Way Corporation,

Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Aug. 5, 1968, Ser. No.750,118 Int. Cl. E01h 1/08 U.S. Cl. 15-340 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A self-propelled unit provides suction pickup and collectionof refuse materials and debris from factories and foundries, said unitincluding a high-powered blower and elongated flexible hose for pickingup materials remote from said unit, and including self-cleaningfiltration means adapted to thoroughly cleanse the collected dirtparticles and foreign matter from the air stream before said air isdischarged to the atmosphere, said self-propelled unit being of thecrawler track type for maximum maneuverability and load-carryingcapacity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present inventionrelates to the art of pneumatic, vacuum-type cleaning, and moreparticularly to an improved mobile pneumatic cleaning apparatus forindustrial use.

Description of the prior art Heretofore a number of mobile vacuum-typecleaning devices have been designed for industrial cleaning purposes, aswell as for cleaning streets and highways. Most of said prior mobilecleaners have been pulled behind a towing vehicle, however, and have notbeen self-propelled units like the present invention. Moreover, saidprior mobile cleaning devices have not included filtration meansdesigned to effectively and thoroughly purge the air stream of thecollected impurities before discharging said air to the surroundingatmosphere.

Examples of prior pneumatic cleaners of the general type described aredisclosed in the following U.S. patents: Daneman No. 3,193,867; DanemanNo. 3,052,908; Dickson No. 3,221,358; Lison et al., No. 2,678,462;Rydberg No. 2,932,845; Steele No. 3,008,542; Hanson No. 2,887,714;Sedgwick et al., No. 2,878,508; and Luksch et al., No. 2,701,377.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a power-drivensuction-type cleaning unit for industry which is designed to replacemanual labor in the removal of debris and refuse materials in factoriesand foundries, thereby greatly increasing the speed, eificiency, andeconomy of said operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning unitof the type described which is mobile to permit the unit to be driven toa suitable dumping site when filled, and which unit is highlymaneuverable to permit the collection of debris from inaccessible andremote locations in a plant or foundry that prior mechanical cleaningunits cannot reach.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedvacuum-type industrial cleaner having suction capabilities permittingrefuse materials to be picked up at substantial distances from saidunit.

A further object is to provide an improved mobile industrial cleaningunit featuring a novel filtration system which prevents impuritiesincluding fine dust from polluting the surrounding atmosphere, and whichfilter system is automatically self cleaning and requires no shutdownfor cleaning.

A further object is to provide an improved industrial cleaner whereinall dirt particles and other solids are filtered from the entraining airstream before said air stream passes through the blower, therebyminimizing damage to the blower from said abrasive materials andreducing maintenance and repair costs.

A further object is to provide a novel and improved industrialvacuum-type cleaner featuring a blower exhaust silencer adapted tomaintain a low noise level.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a new andimproved industrial vacuum-type cleaning unit which is rugged anddurable in construction, which is economical to operate, and which isotherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing, whereinthe same reference numerals designate the same parts in both of theviews:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the complete mobile cleaning unit;and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational and verticalsectional view of the unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularlyto FIG. 1 of the drawing, the self-contained mobile cleaning unitillustrated therein includes an open cab or platform 10 having a gas ordiesel power unit 11, and rearwardly of said cab is the body portion ofthe unit housing the refuse hopper and cleaning equipment, as will behereinafter described. The entire unit is mounted on a pair of spaced,parallel endless crawler tracks 14 having heavy-duty steel or rubbershoes. As is well known, such crawler tracks permit maximumload-carrying capacity and maneuverability. It is intended, in fact,that the novel cleaning unit comprising the present invention can turn360 within its own length dimension, thereby greatly facilitating thepickup of debris or refuse in hard-to-reach areas in a factory orfoundry. Unlike many prior mobile cleaning apparatuses the presentinvention is entirely self-contained and does not require a separatepulling vehicle.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 2 of the drawing, the bodyportion of the present unit is of all-steel construction and includes anenlarged, rearward hopper 16 having a rear wall or tailgate 17, bottom33, and forward wall 34. An opening is provided in the upper portion ofsaid tailgate 17, and projecting therefrom is a connecting member 18 towhich there is coupled an elongated flexible intake hose 19. Said hoseis adapted to be quickly and easily disconnected from said couplingmember 18 during the load-dumping operation, as will be describedhereinafter, and can be of any desired length. It has been found, infact, that with the high vacuum blower utilized in the preferred form ofthe present invention an extremely long intake hose 19 can be utilizedto pick up refuse at distances as great as feet from the vehicle. Inaddition to variation in length, the diameter of the hose can also bemodified as desired, depending upon the intended use of the particularcleaning unit.

A hood-like deflector element 24 within the hopper 16 is designed todirect the dirt and refuse-entraining air stream introduced into saidhopper through the hose 19 downwardly So that the heavier dirt particlesand refuse therein will be deposited on the hopper floor. Supportingsaid hose exteriorly of the hopper body is a surrounding collar 21carried on the outer end of an adjustable supporting arm 22, said armbeing pivotally attached to the lower portion of the hopper tailgate, asat 23. Said tailgate 17 is swingable upwardly and rearwardly about a tophinge connection 27 and is adapted to be opened and closed by ahydraulic cylinder and piston controlled by the driver. In addition, theentire hopper body can be tilted upwardly and rearwardly about a pivotmounting 29 by means of a hydraulic cylinder 31 and link as sembly 32 inorder to dump debris accumulated therein, as will be described.

The upper portion of the hopper 16 is in the form of a horizontalpassageway 38, there being a removable apertured screen therebetween,and communicating therewith are connected passageways 39 and 41 leadingto the chamber 42 on the opposite side of the hopper forward Wall 34.Said area or chamber forwardly of the hopper wall 34 includes a lowerdust bin, and suspended thereabove are a plurality of filter elements43.

The filter elements 43 employed in the present invention comprise aplurality of aligned rows or banks of elongated fabric bags havinginternal wire support frames. In one preferred embodiment of theinvention there are four rows of ten of said tubular filter elements butthe number and arrangement of said filters can be varied as desired, andthe invention is not to be limited in this respect. Mounted above saidmultiple filter elements 43 are manifold pipes connected to a source ofcompressed air and associated therewith are solenoid valves and anadjustable timer 45 which function to automatically cause blasts ofcompressed air to be discharged from said manifold pipes downwardlythrough said tubular filter elements 43. The high pressure backwashcreated by said air blast functions to knock the accumulated dirt andsediment off the filter bags and onto the floor of the dust bin 42therebelow. Through the action of said solenoid valves and timer 45 anair blast is directed through one row of filters at a time, proceedingprogressively down the line of filter tubes in sequence and thenautomatically starting again with the first row. Thus there is provideda continuous cleaning action which maintains the filters clean at alltimes and which makes it unnecessary to shut down the machine forperiodic cleaning, as in conventional vacuum-type cleaners.

A further feature of the novel filter assembly incorporated in thepresent invention is that said filter tubes 43 are removable as a unitwhen it is desired to pick up unusually wet refuse materials or liquid.Such wet or sloppy materials might be injurious to the fabric in thefilter bags and, in addition, the liquid functions to entrain and removethe dirt particles and the like from the air stream, thus making saidfabric filter bags unnecessary when handling extremely wet materials orliquid.

The tops 44 of the filter elements 43 open into a passageway 46communicating with a vertical conduit 47, and the latter is joined atits lower end to the high vacuum blower 48 featured in the presentinvention. Said blower is operatively associated with a suitablehydraulic pump 51 and hydraulic drive motor 52 which powers ahydrostatic transmission for operation of said blower, as well as thecrawler tracks, body dump hoist, and tailgate. Projecting upwardly fromsaid blower 48 is a discharge stack 49 equipped with a blower dischargesilencer.

In the use of the novel vacuum-type cleaner comprising the presentinvention when the blower 48 is actuated a high-powered suction iscreated throughout the system which forcibly draws refuse and debristhrough the flexible intake hose 19 and into the interior of the hopper16. As described, when the dirt and refuse-entraining air stream enterssaid hopper it loses a substantial portion of its velocity, and theheavier refuse and dirt particles therein fall by gravity to the bottomof the hopper. Said air stream is then drawn upwardly, together with thefine foreign material and dirt particles therein, through the perforatedscreening 30 and into the top passageway 38, said screening 30functioning to filter out additional relatively large dirt particles andforeign matter which is collected on the bottom 33 of the hopper.

The air stream is next drawn by the force of the blower through thepassageways 39, 41 into the adjacent chamber 42 and enters the tubularfilter elements 43. As described, said filter elements are designed toscreen out even the finest dust particles and impurities, and saidfilter members are continuously automatically cleaned in sequence by airblasts from manifold pipes 40. The dirt and sediment separated from theair stream by said filter members 43 is collected on the floor of thedust bin therebelow.

The thoroughly cleansed air stream is then drawn through the passageway46 and conduit 47 to the blower 48, where it is forced upwardly throughthe discharge stack 49. One of the principal advantages of the presentinvention, as hereinabove mentioned, is that in the present unit the airstream is thoroughly cleaned before it passes through the blower. Thusthe blower is not damaged by the abrasive dirt particles and foreignmatter, as in many prior industrial cleaners, and blower repair andmaintenance costs are minimized.

In accordance with the preferred form of the present invention theexhaust stack 49 is provided with a silencer which functions to ensurethat the air stream is discharged at a relatively low noise level.

When the cleaning operation has been completed, or when the hopper hasbeen loaded with refuse the mobile unit comprising the present inventioncan be driven to a suitable dumping location. To discharge the contentsthereof the elongated hose 19 is first disconnected from the couplingelement 18 on the tailgate, as described, and the entire body may thenbe pivoted rearwardly and upwardly about the pivot mounting 29 by meansof the hydraulic cylinder 31 and piston.

The tailgate 17 is conjointly swung outwardly about its top hingeconnection 27 through the actuation of the hydraulic cylinder 25, thuspermitting refuse in the hopper 16 to be dumped, and simultaneously adoor 36 in the wall 34 swings open to permit the evacuation of the dustand sediment accumulated in the dust bin 42. Said hydraulic dumping canbe controlled from the drivers cab, as mentioned, and the tilting ofsaid body relative to the cab is permitted by a separable seal assembly50 in the conduit 47, as is well known in the art.

The body of the present mobile cleaning apparatus is preferably of asize to carry up to 3 /2 cubic yards of refuse, which has been found tobe adequate for most industrial cleaning jobs, but it is to beunderstood that the size and capacity of said unit can be varied,depending upon the intended use of the cleaner. Similarly, the unit ispreferably designed to handle bulk densities up to 220 pounds per cubicfoot, depending upon the size and shape of the particles, but neither isthe invention to be limited in this respect.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the presentinvention provides a new and improved self-propelled cleaning unit formodern industry. The suction-type cleaner comprising the invention isdesigned to effectively pick up and collect a wide variety of debris andrefuse materials, including foundry sand, flue dust, ash, mill scale,graphite, grain products and waste, metal chips, ores, chemicals, and,in fact, virtually all solid or liquid materials which may beencountered in a factory or foundry.

Further advantages of the improved mobile cleaning device comprising thepresent invention are that it is very maneuverable to permit thecollection of refuse from inaccessible and remote locations in a factoryor foundry, and said improved unit features a novel continuousselfcleaning filtration system which effectively prevents pollution ofthe surrounding atmosphere. Moreover, by filtering the dirt particlesand foreign matter therefrom before the air stream passes through theblower there is no possibility of said abrasive matter damaging theblower.

Still further features of the present invention are that it isrelatively quiet, it is inexpensive to Operate, and it is rugged anddurable in construction.

It is to be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention has been illustrated and described herein, numerous variationsor modifications thereof will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in theart. What is intended to be covered herein is not only the illustratedform of the invention but also any and all modified forms thereof as maycome within the spirit of said invention, and within the scope of thefollowing claim.

What we claim is:

1. In a mobile, self-propelled vacuum-type cleaner including a cab, abody pivotally mounted rearwardly of said cab, a power-operatedsuction-type blower, a hopper in the rearward portion of said body, anelongated flex ible intake hose communicating with said hopper interior,means in said hopper for causing the heavier dirt particles and refusedrawn therein through said intake hose to be separated from the airstream and deposited on the bottom of the hopper, a chamber between saidhopper and said blower, an airstream passageway communicating with andextending between the upper portion of said chamber and said blower, andan exhaust stack communicating with said blower, the improved filtermeans adapted to filter fine dirt particles from the airstream beforesaid air stream is drawn into said blower, comprising:

a plurality of spaced, aligned rows of tubular fabric filter bagsremovably suspended from the upper portion of said chamber andpositioned to intercept the fine dirt-entraining air stream drawn fromsaid hopper toward said blower, said filter bags being closed wherebysaid air stream is caused to flow through said bag walls to the interiorof said bags and upwardly through the open tops of said bags into theairstream passageway communicating with said blower, the fine dirtparticles in said airstream being filtered out by said fabric bags andcollected on the exterior surfaces thereof;

manifold pipe means mounted above the open tops of said filter bags; and

means for directing blasts of air under pressure from said manifoldpipes downwardly into and through said filter bags to knock the dirtaccumulated on the outer surfaces thereof onto the chamber floortherebelow, said air blasts being directed sequentially through one rowof filter bags at a time, proceeding progressively down the line of bagsin sequence and then automatically starting again with the first row, sothat said bag-cleaning action is continuous and does not require thestopping of said filtering operation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,186,021 6/ 1965 Krier et a1.15-340 3,193,867 7/1965 Daneman et a1. 15-340 X 3,256,679 6/1966 Snyder55-302 X 3,402,420 9/1968 Schaefier 15-340 X 3,431,583 3/1969 Daneman15-340 X FOREIGN PATENTS 232,087 1/ 1961 Australia.

ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

